She had written it the night before his last day.
Folded it carefully. Tucked it inside her bag. Carried it with her like a secret — like hope stitched on trembling paper.
But in the end, she never gave it. The words remained hers alone, sealed in silence.
It read:
---
To the one who never knew,
To the one I'll always remember,
To the person who brightened my world—
Before you go, I just wanted to quietly say goodbye.
Thank you, for the light you unknowingly brought into my days.
You may never realize how much your presence meant to me — but it did, more than I could ever put into words.
I'm sorry if, at any point, my feelings or even just my presence ever made you uncomfortable. That was never my intention.
All I ever wanted was to quietly be part of your world, even from a distance.
You will never know how deeply I cared, how every small moment with you — the brief smiles, the passing glances — made my heart beat a little faster.
I only ever wished you happiness, even if it wasn't with me. Even if I never had a place in your life, I wanted nothing more than for you to be truly happy.
If life allows, and if our paths cross again someday, I hope it will be under different circumstances.
I hope we can finally share a simple "hi" — without awkwardness, without hesitation, without the weight of all the things that were left unsaid.
And if that day comes, I hope I'll be able to smile at you without the sadness that still lingers in my heart.
I hope I'll finally be able to carry nothing but gratitude — gratitude for the way you made me feel, even when you never knew.
But for now, this is my goodbye.
It's not what I wanted, but it feels like the right thing to do.
I'm letting go — not because I've stopped caring, but because I care enough to let you go, to respect the space that has grown between us.
This isn't a final goodbye, though. I won't say that, because I'm holding onto the quiet hope that, maybe someday, we'll see each other again.
And when that happens, I'll carry with me nothing but peace — for you, for me, and for all that we never had.
I'll always wish you the best, no matter where life takes you.
Take care, always.
---
She never handed it over.
Instead, she left the office with the letter still in her bag, close to her heart — like the rest of her feelings had always been.